Reviews by alleykatking:

A- Pours a murky light brown with some red hues to it when held to the light. Half finger off white head shows light retention. Some light streaks of lace on the sides of the glass when I drink this one down.

S- Caramel and toffee malts dominate the front of the nose. Hints of sugared figs and plums as well linger into the ending with a light piney hop aroma. Alcohol is very apparent but it goes along with the aroma itself.

T- Caramel and toffee malts come out strong in the front with hints of piney hop that brings it down a notch. Sugared darker fruits in the middle make up most of the flavor there. Ending shows more of a caramel malt base with hints of brown sugar and molasses. Alcohol comes through pretty strong in the ending bringing out a medicinal taste.

M- Medium mouthfeel. Carbonation is good for the style. Sweet malts, darker fruit, hint of piney hops are left on the palate. Aftertaste is mostly medicinal alcohol, light brown sugar/molasses, and darker fruits. Flavors were balanced very well for the most part. No off flavors were present while drinking. Medium high alcohol drying on the palate.

O- This was a nice drinking barleywine. Nothing over the top but a nice sipping beer on long winter nights. The ABV is a little on the high side and it shows up a lot but adds a light secondary flavor. Overall would love to get my hands on some more of these bottles.

More User Reviews:

Poured into my trusty Red Oak nonic a deep auburn with a tight formed 2 finger of white head that left spotty lacing as it settled slowly.Brown sugar and almost cinnamon-like spice hit upfront in the nose also quite floral with hints of minty leaf hoppiness.A bit thinner than expected for such a big beer ,not big and chewey like I would have liked still not a major flaw,dark fruit and alcohol warnth standout after the first few sips along with some honey sweetness with decent herbal smack of hops showing thru late.I detected quite an alcohol zip thruout from beginning to end making it a one and done for me for sure still its got good flavors and well it should be a sipper anyways.

A: Deep brown with a fantastic ruby hue. Pours with a light head that reduces to light layer of bubbles and thick ring around the glass. Very nice lacing. This is what a barley wine should look like!

S: Complex aromas of fig, malts, brown sugar, and a whiff of alcohol.

T: Strong malts wash over the tongue teasing it with sweetness slowly giving way to a rather strong alcohol presence. The finish is relatively dry, which is interesting given the relative maltiness on the front side. The linger actually has a hint of bitterness.

M&D: Mouthfeel is rather heavy, which is to be expected and is well matched to the brew. However I found the strong alcohol taste a bit distracting. The carbonation is very light, but persistent. Although the taste on the front end of the drink is quite good, the alcohol linger is distracting to me. I enjoyed the drink, but don't know if I would want to drink more than one at a time.

It's a beautiful thing to see bigger, bolder beers come from North Carolina. Just think: About three years ago, beer over 6 percent was against the law. Let's drink to the third anniversary of N.C. popping the cap.

Clear ruddy-brown color wears a crown of tan lacing; great head retention for a higher-alcohol ale. Rich caramel malt aroma with some spicy earthy hop and a clean nearly hidden alcohol. Smooth and creamy with a wet, medium-full body, which shows that this beer is not too thick. Maltiness has a good amount of depth with caramel and some toasted that blankets the taste buds. A little fruity with suggestions of dried plums and raisins. Slight cocoa note within. The alcohol wakes the palate up with a clean warmth and slight spiciness. Hop bitterness drops just enough flavor to keep the malt sweetness in check. Finishes slightly sweet with a lingering spicy alcohol.

Balance is the charm here, and even within balance there can be complexity. The 11 percent is definitely there, though not within the first couple of sips. A lovely sipper to be had.

Deep murky reddish brown pour into the glass with a quarter inch of khaki bubbles on top of the brew, can't see through this one at all! Aromas are big on fruit upfront with a rich caramel candy undertone. Toffee and maybe even some bubblegum. Super malty with some brown sugar and still some lingering hops as well.

First sip brings a plethora of deep, sweet malts upfront drenched in fruit flavors. Caramel, brown sugar and toffee again make themselves known. Citrus notes along with a slight bitter hop kick...however the sweet malts still win out as it flows down. Touch of spice and warming alcohol on the finish.

Mouthfeel is thick and rich with chewy malt throughout. Definitely a warming sipper of a barleywine that leaves a bit of a heat trail as it goes down. Glad to have tried it...would be great on a cold night maybe even with a nice cigar.

Received in trade from marvin. Hopefully it will bring my Eers luck today vs UofL.

Pours a reddish carmel red. Looks more like a marzen except the head. Med thick, ample lacing. You can tell there is depth. Lots of bubbles, I gotta let this one breathe even though its at 50F.

Medium malt, carmel, piney hops. Smells more like a American BW. Mild ABV, but present. Solid malt body, wine sweet, little hop character (back to english). Nice level of bitterness, almost ESB, though much sweeter. I bet this could drop to 60F and be just as smooth.

This muddy-brown red clay almost plops into my snifter. It's thick like near-dry mud. The head forms quickly to even more quickly disappear. Compared to some of my previous DR Barleywines that spewed all over the counter, I'm stumped by this pour's top looking smooth and serene like lake water. I fear flatness.

Thee bitter barleywine breathes up my nose, and there's a pleasing cherry tinge like the syrup in maraschino cherry jars. Really--there's a sweet infusion here that's spot-on cherry. The angstrom bitterness makes no bones about the style, but the nosy juxtaposition is curious.

Chalky and medicinal, I wish the taste offered more cheery cherry...but it IS an English Barleywine. It tastes like one and, particularly for a Farmville, NC production, it's true to an old English style. It's pungent and warming--almost cheek-numbing. Perhaps like all beers, it's analgesic. The swallow is hot, even as saliva metabolizes the sugars. It's among the most sugary without being sweet. The breakdown actually contributes to a grainy feel, as if destructed into particles. Interesting without inviting.

The Achilles heel of this body, you just can't embrace it. How dark are barleywines anyway? Why are the self-proclaimed "dark beer specialists" making a barleywine? Though respectably true to style, it's okay at best.

Many thanks to mntlover for sending this fine bottle. Served into a goblet, it exhibits a radiant copper garnet body topped by a large beige head. Retention is excellent and attractive island chain lace adorns the glass.

Taste is awash in fruity complexity, with melon and apple joining the citrus noted in the aroma. Caramel, toffee, and brown sugar show up again and lend a sturdy sweet malt base. Hints of dark fruits like raisins are in the background. Finishes with a pleasant sweetness suggestive of orange marmelade.

Difficult to classify as American or English, but a prime example why Duck-Rabbit has emerged as one of the premier craft breweries in the Southern United States. Very well done!

Special thanks to Muddyfeet for sending this one my way...we miss him around MA, but nice to know I can score some NC brews from him.
Cherry rust in color with a full two fingers of khaki-colored head...most of which rests on top like a foamy pillow for quite some time and leaves some thick coated lacing.
Decent in the nose...cherries, vanilla, citrus, some floral (lavender) notes too.
Taste is a bit less complexity...a bitter sweetness grabs the tongue right away, but settles into a candied caramel flavor.
Quite bitter w/ floral hops mainly...slight tart cherry flavor with some orange peel twang in the finish. The alcohol is nowhere to be found, which is very surprising...how do you totally mask 11% abv?
Mouthfeel is full bodied and the carbonation is a touch high for the style...definitely a sipper and I find myself drinking this one very slowly.
It's good, but honestly, I find myself a bit underwhelmed...will sit on the other to see if this one mellows a bit.

The beer pours a dark red color with an off-white head. The aroma has a lot of piney hops in it, as well as some heavy caramel and brown sugar notes. There is also some alcohol in the aroma. The flavor is similar. There are some pine and orange notes in the flavor which go well with the heavy caramel malt backbone. There is also some brown sugar-like sweetness. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

Thanks to Kwakwhore for the send. 12oz brown bottle served into a tulip glass. 1" light tannish/brown head,very creamy.Nice clear mahogany color had good retention leaving some sticky webby lacing down the glass with a few strands of very tiny bubbles tighly knitted rising.

Heavy strong maltiness,lots of burnt tastes, bittersweet dark fruitiness with a touch of sourness. Good balance with a very leafy,tea-like hop bite. Feels like a stong beer,the boozyness is well hidden for an 11% beer. This beer could only get better with age.

Thick and cloying with wine-like dryness. Was a bit rough to be real drinkable. Some aging would really do this beer some justice.

Dark brown pour, far from clear, almost no head to it, looked rather rudimentary in a homebrew kinda way. Lacked much in the aroma, a little fusel, tad of nutty smell.

Taste, toffee, barely hopped, low carbonation. Very smooth, not overly sweet, hides the alcohol extremely well. Just is kinda plain tasting, not appreciably sweet nor bitter nor hoppy. Its easy enough to drink, even velvety at times. Takes the toffee and nuts and smooves them out into something that is relatively easy going given its abv.

If you like barleywines, check it out, otherwise, its probably a 50/50 chance you dig it or don't.

Appearance, pours out from the 12 oz. bottle into my Gulden Draak chalice. Fine stream of beige leather bubbles cascade through the deep Sangria like blood orange body, murky with yeast particles suspended bringing out quite the colloid. Head forms thick and stands up with resilience, lacing is fine even and intricate what a beautiful glass of barleywine lies in front of me. Aromatics deliver with deep over ripened raisin and plums reduced and caramelized in brandy, touch of pear drizzled with light syrup. All that malt is balanced with pine cone and herbal minty fresh hop doses, also alcohol is also evident with vapors tickling the nose and an earthy wood like accent finishes the party. Flavors flood well together drinking sweet right now but guaranteed not to be too cloying upfront sweet citric, caramel richness barrages my senses. Slightly burnt brown sugar really coats the palate, with alcohol soothing the back of the throat like a mild anesthetic. Bitterness streaks through with piney, citrus peel, and herbal mint qualities really impressive flow going on this is real barleywine. Alcohol is evident but maybe I have a high threshold I'm not tasting 11%, that's a good thing no instant headaches here or fusel alcohol, ethanol is just another well coordinated aspect of the brew. Mouthfeel is soothing with residual sugars coating the palate on each sip strong even bitterness is left on the palate carbonation is ample but not overdone body is medium to full in the spectrum of things. Overall drinkability is really great, I like this barleywine from the front to the back in every way a great beer I find it more impressive than the Baltic Porter or standard Porter I've had from them. What an up and coming brewery thanks jcdiflorio for the opportunity to sample this one. I also agree that this beer will only get better with age if your able to hold on to one for that long, because it's drinking pretty good right now and that friggin' red eyed duck with the derby on won't stop staring at me when I open the fridge I had to sample this one.

Pours a honey-copper color with an off-white head. The head settles fairly quickly into a wispy layer of bubbles on top leaving decent lacing.

Smells of sweet malts with a lot of hops - mostly citrus but with pine and floral hints in there as well. There's also a bit of nondescript fruit smells.

Tastes similar to how it smells, though the malts are a bit more in charge. Pine hop flavors come out more than any other hop flavor, and the fruit flavors are still there. This is an interesting mish-mash of flavors that ends with a nice bitterness. This is fresh from the brewery and I didn't find much presence of alcohol with the exception of a warming sensation.

Mouthfeel is good. It has a syrupy thickness with good carbonation that makes this go down smoothly.

Drinkability is good. I had no problem finishing what I had, but I'm not sure I could drink more than one of these at a time.

Overall I was impressed with how good this was fresh. The older version was certainly more balanced, but the flavors in the fresh bottle were still impressive. Worth a shot.

(Served in a snifter) best by 12/09 A- This beer has a dense brown body with a slight amber glow. There is a bubbly yellowish tan head that last a few sips and is supported by a few strands of microbubbles that glide to the surface. S- This beer has a full rich caramel aroma with a light perfume hops finish. T- This rich sweet malt caramel flavor has a dry malt finish with a slight hop prick in the finish. There is a nice roasted malt flavor supported with a soft alcohol heat it warms. M- This beer has a medium-full mouthfeel with no alcohol heat in the mouthfeel. D- This beer has a rich malt with a slightly sweet flavor and a dry finish with just enough hops to support the malt.

T/M: A nice alcohol line mingles throughout the entire drink. Hops are again muted but add a nice light citrus flavor and a touch of bitterness. Caramelized sugar in the malts with plump dark raisins and currants. More of the soft smoked meat character. Body is about full and a bit syrupy. Carbonation is moderate with a nice smoothness.